Keiko Fujimori wins Peru's presidential election
Peru’s electoral court, the National Jury of Elections (JNE), has declared right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori the winner of Peru’s presidential race, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Friday’s announcement comes weeks after the June 7 run-off election against her left-wing opponent, Congress member Roberto Sanchez.
Fujimori had a slight lead after the vote count ended earlier this week, and the official tally released Friday shows a razor-thin victory. She received 9,223,000 votes to Sanchez’s 9,173,000.
“A new stage begins,” Fujimori wrote on Friday on the social media platform X.
“We assume it with responsibility, humility, and a deep sense of duty. Each day of this transition process is an opportunity to listen, engage in dialogue, and arrive prepared at the start of the new government,” she stated.
Fujimori is the daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, who was jailed for human rights abuses.
After running on a platform of cracking down on crime, she has promised to “unite the country,” which has endured years of political turmoil and a stagnating economy.
Fujimori and Sanchez reached the runoff vote after defeating 33 other candidates in April’s general election, a record-large field.
However, delays in April’s ballot distributions – and lengthy vote counts after both rounds of voting – have dogged the election, prompting various political interests to cry foul.
Sanchez, who had strong support among rural and Indigenous voters, alleged irregularities and fraud in the vote count but has not provided any evidence.
Fujimori is set to become Peru’s ninth president in 10 years when she takes office on Peru’s Independence Day in late July.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has supported several right-wing candidates across Latin America, has backed Fujimori. Trump has endorsed an increasingly militarized approach to security in the region.
Fujimori has also been embraced by other right-wing leaders across Latin America, including Argentina’s Javier Milei.
Previously, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, signed laws ratifying three agreements with Peru to develop cooperation in the field of criminal law.
